CHAPTER 8

The box was carved with ancient writings, probably Greek or Latin. It was black and was not much bigger than a jewelry box. I opened it and found two pieces of jewelry. One was the sun ring I was looking for, and the other was a bracelet I had forgotten about. It was a silver chain decorated with ruby diamonds. Those diamonds were capable of resisting compulsion from any Genesis Vampire.

I looked at the bracelet, and it brought back memories I had never wanted to recall. I took out the ring and closed the box. I slid it under the shelf and walked out of the Cellar with the ring in my hoodie pocket. As I got back to the living room, I saw Solomon sitting on the couch with a glass of alcohol in his hand.

"You were right, Desmond; I did make a mistake," he said, not looking at me. I smirked and folded my hands across my chest, savoring the victory.

"It is fine, brother. We all make mistakes", I comforted as I sat beside him.

"Today at the hall, I saw something," he began.

"What?" I said, turning to face him with interest.

"I saw a boy with a hoodie covering his whole body, even his face," he said.

I rolled my eyes in disappointment.

"That is a normal teenager dressing, brother," I assured.

"I thought so until the skin on his wrists, which were not probably shielded, were glowing and sparkling," he added.

I twisted my head in confusion. It wasn't Oliver because Oliver was stuck at home. Then who was this? Then something came into my mind.

"Another vampire?" I thought out loud.

"Yes, Desmond," he agreed.

"I thought Winekove was cleared of every vampire?".

"It does not look like it."

"What are we going to do? The whole town may be crawling with them", I asked.

"We will have a party and invite all of them," he suggested.

"Then?".

"Then we fill them in on the deal we made with the werewolves."

"And if they refuse to listen?" I asked again.

"We kill them too," he answered coldly. "After all, they are an unwanted species and a liability."

"I love the way you think, brother," I teased.

I couldn't believe that Solomon thought of killing. He was shaping up the way I wanted, and I loved it. I gave him a big smile.

"I am not becoming you, brother," he pointed out. "I am just using that as a punishment for the lawbreakers."

"So, how do we invite them?".

"Leave that to me, brother," Solomon assured.

"Okay then," I said, getting up. "I am going for a stroll."

"Okay, brother," he said and emptied his glass.

I nodded and sped out of the house. I zoomed through the trees in the forest, trying to recall Oliver's house. The only thing I could hear while running were the leaves of trees dancing as I passed through them. I reached the road in a split second, just as a car was about to pass.

Everything slowed down as I jumped over the car. I twisted my body to prevent my back from hitting the car's windshield. I looked through the windshield and saw the driver didn't notice me. It was a woman, and she was still focused on the road. Maybe because I was jumping in between seconds and milliseconds. I landed awkwardly on my left foot and took off immediately before my right foot touched the ground.

And then I arrived at the backyard of Oliver's house. I climbed up to his window with inhumane speed and pulled up his window. I hopped in and looked around the room. He wasn't there. Suddenly, a bat flew towards my face, but I held it quickly. Oliver came into view having the other end. He realized it was me and sighed in relief.

"You scared the hell out of me," he said.

I felt Deja Vu set in. He was still alive the last time he made that statement; now, he's undead.

"I gave you an order," I said coldly. "Why haven't you carried it out yet?".

"See," he said and walked to the window. He pulled up the sleeve of his hoodie, which covered his right hand. The sun bathes his skin and makes it glow like diamonds.

Well, I was correct. He didn't have a right to repel the sun rays from his skin.

"I can't go out glowing like this under the sun," he said.

"Well, you need not worry about that any longer," I assured and reached into my pocket. I brought out the ring and threw it towards me. He caught it with super reflexes. He looked at the ring in his hand and then at me in confusion.

"That should solve your glowing problem," I said.

He wore the ring on his middle finger and placed his hand across his window. The sun washed up on his skin again, but it didn't glow this time. He looked at me and smiled.

"Wow, thanks," he said, giggling.

I zoomed in and held his chin, pinning him to the wall. I tightened my grip on his chin and could hear his bones crack.

"Just get the job done, and no more excuses," I ordered without bothering to compel him. "Am I clear enough?"

He nodded slightly in pain. I stood still for some moments, looking at him. Then I let go of his chin. He held his chin in pain with his body bent. I stared at him for moments before running with super speed and jumping out the window. I landed comfortably on both feet.

I thought of where to go next, and then my mind returned to the blood bank. If I could steal some of it, they could prevent me from killing people for some days, covering my tracks from Solomon. I sped off and headed straight to the hospital.

I arrived at the hospital, sped through the crowd, and used the stairs to reach the fifth floor. I headed to the end of the hall on the right and found the door as I left it. Confused that the hospital hadn't fixed it, I walked into the room only to find out that the whole place had been raided. I was surprised; I hadn't stolen anything, nor did Solomon. This meant Solomon was right; we weren't the only vampires in Winekove.

•••

When I got home, Melissa waited patiently on the couch for me. She sat nervously, legs crossed, and held her handbag to her chest. She sighed in relief as she saw me. I had completely forgotten about the agreement at school. She stood up and hugged me tight. I just stood there, hands to my side.

"Where have you been?" she asked, worried. "I've been seated here for the past thirty minutes."

"I am sorry for keeping you waiting," I managed to say.

"Apology accepted," she said with her arms still around my neck. "So what are we going to do now?".

"What do we always do?" I replied.

"Which is?".

I smashed my lips against hers and lifted her from the ground without effort. She kissed me back hungrily, and our lips were locked with lust. I sped to my room with inhumane speed and locked the door behind me with Melissa still in my arms. I dropped her on the bed, drowned in lust.

I climbed her and kissed her once more. When the kiss intensified, she dragged my shirt up and off my body. I removed her top, and her breasts leaped free. She didn't wear braziers. I kissed her from her forehead to her chest and cupped her breasts. It was so soft.

She reached for my belt and unbuckled it, pulling my trousers to my knees. I helped her get it off me and got hers off too. We were now only in underwear. I kissed her cheek and dragged my lips slowly down to her throat. I stopped below where her carotid artery would be. My teeth turned into fangs, and I dug them into her neck.

I felt her warm blood wash down my throat in ecstasy. She tried screaming but couldn't say anything. I compelled her to forget what we had done when I was done. I stood up and wore my jeans back. I threw her clothes at her, and she dressed up. Then I escorted her to the front door. She waved me goodnight and left. I went upstairs and slumped on my bed, drowning in sleep.

The next day, I drove the Audi into the school's parking lot and killed the engine. This was just the second time Solomon and I had used the car to school, so I could forgive everybody for staring at us as we stepped out of the vehicle.

Classes went by in a dash. I kept my distance from Hope throughout our lessons until cafeteria time. I didn't want to talk to her. I didn't even want to see her. However, I enjoyed watching her tremble with love and lust in my presence. Today was not the day for that.

I hoped Oliver followed my instructions because I needed more time to get my hands dirty. I had given him everything he needed to eliminate Zack; Speed, strength, and agility. Oliver could walk under the sun without glowing, giving him an edge over Zack. He had better kill him, or I would kill them both.

I took a seat at my usual table in the cafeteria. I folded my hands across my chest and waited for Solomon. He walked in with Hope, and I raised an eyebrow at them. They went to the counter and bought their lunch. They came to my table and sat.

Solomon handed me a bag of chips, and I stretched across the table to get it. I raised my eyebrow at him, and he just smiled foolishly. I opened it and looked at Hope. She was looking down at her tray. I knew why she didn't want to look at me. I would restrict her airflow. I chuckled softly and crunched on a chip.

"What is she doing here?" I asked Solomon. Then, she raised her head and looked up at me. I gave her a dead cold look. She sucked in air through her nose. This one was out of fear.

"She is joining us for lunch," he answered plainly. "Is that not right, Hope?".

She just shook her head timidly and with fear. I cocked my head and narrowed my eyes at Solomon. I also gave Hope the same look. When our eyes met, she withdrew her face down to her tray. This was precisely what I had been trying to avoid since morning.

"And why is that Solomon?".

"Do you have a problem with that brother?" he hit back.

"Yes," I said and looked at her. She carried up her face to look at me. Surprisingly, she didn't drag it down immediately after our eyes met. Instead, she looked at me too. Her chocolate eyes were trying to pierce through mine. After ten seconds, she dropped it back.

Pathetic! I said in my mind.

Solomon looked up at me. I knew he had heard that. I clenched my jaw, uninterested, and readjusted my hands which lay across my chest. I looked at Hope once more. Her face was still bent above her plate. She ate silently, afraid to look up at us, me precisely. I scoffed softly.

The bell rang, and she stood up with her empty tray. She waved Solomon goodbye and walked away. I sighed and stretched on my chair. Solomon turned and looked at me. I gave him back a look sideways.

"What was that all about?" he demanded.

"What do you mean, brother?" I asked.

"You scared her off!" he barked.

"Are you sure about that?" I asked again, with a brow raised.

He was angry; I could feel it. I looked at his wrist, which was placed on the table. It was trembling, and his grip on the table's edge left an imprint on it.

"You know that she is afraid of me, and you still let her sit with us," I pointed out. "This is your fault, Solomon, not mine."

With that, he closed his eyes and took in deep breaths. He let go of the table and opened his eyes. Then he stood up from his seat with his eyes on me.

"Whatever," he said and walked off.

I had observed this more than a couple of times; Solomon was acting strange. But what happened just now made me realize something; Solomon had a thing for Hope.